[Boygav]

Hi all
Just welcomed an eight (now nine) week old miniature dachshund puppy to the house. I’ve read plenty about crate training and know it’s important. I’m currently working from home due to the pandemic and whatnot but will be going back to the office again sometime in the medium future.
Anyway, Paisley (the pup) is tiny, even my miniature daxy standards. She’s been sleeping at night in the fabric pet carrier we brought her home from the breeders in and that’s been working okay, she’s mostly sleeping though the night already. However, I know it’s not a permanent solution.
We have a crate and have been popping the carrier into that in the morning. Paisley does nap on the front lip of the carrier in the crate with the door open, but we tried closing the crate yesterday and she became so upset she wouldn’t go near the crate again all day. We now plan to take the crate training real slowly, couple minutes at a time to get her used to it.
The question I have is: how do I take the crate training slowly during the day, but get her to sleep in the crate all night? Seems counter intuitive to build her confidence in the crate inch by inch during the day but then force her into the crate at night.
Or do we keep using the carrier at night time? Will this set her training back?

 

[Daniel Chamley]

Hi all
Just welcomed an eight (now nine) week old miniature dachshund puppy to the house. I’ve read plenty about crate training and know it’s important. I’m currently working from home due to the pandemic and whatnot but will be going back to the office again sometime in the medium future.
Anyway, Paisley (the pup) is tiny, even my miniature daxy standards. She’s been sleeping at night in the fabric pet carrier we brought her home from the breeders in and that’s been working okay, she’s mostly sleeping though the night already. However, I know it’s not a permanent solution.
We have a crate and have been popping the carrier into that in the morning. Paisley does nap on the front lip of the carrier in the crate with the door open, but we tried closing the crate yesterday and she became so upset she wouldn’t go near the crate again all day. We now plan to take the crate training real slowly, couple minutes at a time to get her used to it.
The question I have is: how do I take the crate training slowly during the day, but get her to sleep in the crate all night? Seems counter intuitive to build her confidence in the crate inch by inch during the day but then force her into the crate at night.
Or do we keep using the carrier at night time? Will this set her training back?

Hi, I would play a game with the crate, throwing a toy near the crate and eventually into it. Leave the door open and let the dog come and go freely from the crate. Try 3 sessions of 5 mins an hour apart. Introduce food bowl into crate with 1st half of meal. Mix up the fun and be really enthusiastic about how fun it is. Dogs and puppies like to feel safe a comfy so make sure your crate looks less like a prison and more like the best bed ever. I would then spend the remaining part of the day building up time in the crate. Encourage puppy into crate with treat or part of their meal, or toy. Close it count to 10 seconds, open door, praise, repeat. Build up the time slowly. If your puppy starts to pant, whine, scratch, they have had enough training. You can't rush things and unfortunately you will have to go at the puppy's pace. Hope this helps.

 

[Galathiel]

Look up "Crate Games" and make the crate a fun place for the pup, a haven.